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Title (eng)
Beyond borders: A decade of change in Europe's Saker Falcon ("Falco cherrug" Gray, 1834) population (2012-2022)
Author
Mátyás Prommer
Author
János Bagyura
Author
Jozef Chavko
Author
Vlasta Škorpíková
Author
Yuri Milobog
Author
Richard Zink
Author
Elena Kmetova-Biro
Author
Vitalie Ajder
Author
Maxim Gavrilyuk
Author
Attila Nagy
Author
Zsolt Hegyeli
Author
Ivaylo Klisurov
Author
Slobodan Pužović
Author
Ciprian Fântână
Author
Judit Veres-Szászka
Author
Igor Karyakin
Abstract (eng)
The westernmost population of the globally endangered Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) resides in Europe. Despite its small size, this European population is fragmented by political borders, complicating a holistic understanding of its demographic processes, ecology, and threats at the population level. Prior research has predominantly focused on national-level data, summarizing the numbers of breeding pairs in various countries without conducting a unified analysis. This study aims to consolidate and examine the aggregated national data-sets from 2012 to 2022, providing a comprehensive overview of the status of European Saker Falcon breeding population, its trends, and demographic processes. We estimate the European population at 535–700 pairs and identify three distinct subpopulations: the interconnected and growing yet demographically diverse western and eastern subpopulations in Central Europe, and the declining Eastern European (Black Sea) subpopulation, which has limited connection to the two Central European subgroups. The results highlight the necessity of continued large-scale conservation efforts, particularly for the Eastern European subpopulation. Furthermore, cross-border cooperation is crucial for the development and implementation of joint research and conservation strategies.
Keywords (eng)
Saker FalconEuropePopulationDemography
Type (eng)
journal article
Language
[eng]
Persistent identifier
https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4492
DOI
10.2478/orhu-2025-0002
Is in series
Title (eng)
Ornis Hungarica
Volume
33
Issue
1
ISSN
2061-9588
Issued
2025
Number of pages
11
Publication
De Gruyter
Version type (eng)
version of record (published version)
Date issued
2025
Access rights (eng)
open access
License
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
Rights statement (eng)
© 2025 Mátyás Prommer, János Bagyura, Jozef Chavko, Vlasta Škorpíková, Yuri Milobog, Richard Zink, Elena Kmetova-Biro, Vitalie Ajder, Maxim Gavrilyuk, Attila Nagy, Zsolt Hegyeli, Ivaylo Klisurov, Slobodan Pužović, Ciprian Fântână, Judit Veres-Szászka, Igor Karyakin